LiS: Mind is Strange
by mPunkt
Summary: After Max looses consciousness, she wakes up in a nightmarish world. Is it reality, or only a dream? More and more strange things keep happening, and Max doesnt know, what to do. How can she escape from there? What will happen afterwards? And what does it have to do with her powers? Will she be able to save everyone or even herself? (Alternate Ending)
1. The nightmare begins

**Hello, welcome to my first fanfiction here!**

 **SPOILER Alert (is this necessary? I don't know, I'll just put it here...): Story of LiS will be mentioned, only read after playing(or watching) Life is Strange :3**

 **While I was playing Polarized (to be more specific, the nightmare), I suddenly got an idea, and then I thought: why not make a story out of it?**

 **The first chapters will be nearly just recap of ep5, but after these, my littly alternate ending will play in... Hope you'll stay until there :)**

 **This won't focus on romance, just an alternate ending.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange (but I have it on Steam :'D)**

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 _"I've got your back, Max."_

Whoa! As I regain consciousness, I already know where I am.

"Alfred Hitchcock called them 'little pieces of time', but he could be talking..."

I'm back in class, what the hell? On top of that, I have to listen to this lecture again... This might be hell. But why? Did I actually fuck up time!? Everything seems normal. All of the students are here, Mr. Jefferson in front of us all.

"Can you give me an example of a photographer...?" As Mr. Jefferson continues his lecture, I notice how Stella drops her pen, and how Victoria's phone rings, just like the first time I experienced this situation. Okay, this is totally messed up. Am I stuck in a time loop? Be calm and don't freak out...yet. I remember thinking something similar after rewinding for the first time and finding out about my power. Feels like years ago. Suddenly I hear a smashing sound. As I notice, where this is coming from, I don't know what to say. More and more birds are smashing against the windows, slowly but surely painting the whole sight red with their blood. Wait, what's going on? Nobody even cares!?

"Seriously though, I could frame any one of you in a dark corner and capture you in a moment of desperation..."

I don't have to hear that again, I already learnt it myself. The others are just listening to Mr. Jefferson's words, not even noticing anything. What is wrong with this world? Did I destroy time somehow? No, I don't think so; there must be a way to- The bell rings, and what? Everyone is gone now... Without a sound or something, they disappeared! Have I totally fucked up time? This doesn't make any sense.

I look around the classroom. Everything is different. I walk towards Kate's seat, and there's a graffiti where she disappeared right now, reading _'I WANT TO DIE'_ in big white letters, over and over again. You didn't die, Kate. You're alive - at least in the 'normal' world ... Maybe I'm able to save her in this fucked up reality, too? I notice the paper ball, and when I open it, I get chills on my whole body.

 _'If you're reading this, it means you're DEAD. Mr. Jefferson, xoxo'_

What is this bullshit! I throw it away. I'm not dead, am I? I'm not so sure anymore. I look around, and decide to check the computer. I gasp, when I see what's on the screen: The picture which Mr Jefferson took of me in the darkroom! That's to creepy... Speaking of photos of me, did all these posters change to photos of me!?

That's me? Are you kidding!? I stare at the Pop Vine magazine, which has me on the cover, captured by Mark Jefferson. On our class picture, everyone's eyes were replaced by holes. I can't believe it! Another magazine, where I'm posing for Jefferson, only wearing a bikini top. This is definitely not for reals. There's the graffiti I photographed the first time I was in this lecture. As I look at it, it changes from Rachel Amber, to Chloe Price and even to my name! I- I have to get going, or I'll never find a way out of this hell.

As I head towards the door, I stop to look at the changed Everyday heroes contest poster. 'Everyday Zeroes'. And my face again. 'Is Max Caulfield a Loser?' I'm not going to take the bait...I'm not.

 _'Does she hurt everybody she helps? YES! Max has already won since she has already lost, so don't bother to enter.'_

Is this supposed to be funny? I don't want to understand this world anymore, but I have to... somehow. When I want to leave the classroom, the only one left, the monster in disguise, stops me.

"I see you Max Caulfield; don't even think about leaving here until we talk about your entry."

Shit... Mr. Jefferson. I want to go outside the classroom, but he turns to me, and somehow I'm forced to speak with him.

"I just wanted to know, if you'd like to spend the rest of your life in the dark room with me."

Hell no, as if I could stay in the same room with you, you perverted murderer!

"Your purity inspires me... And we could be so happy together..." Obviously no!

"Who needs selfies, when I could give you portraiture?" Sure, if you weren't a psycho!

"My selfies are shit… I need to be framed by a real artist. I'm just a poser… "

Did, did I just say that? But, but, why, I wanted to- "Yes, you will be posing…for me. There's so many angles I want to expose you with to the world…"

No, no, just stop talking – "I hope you don't mind needles or duct tape."

I DO mind, and I will never ever again pose for you sick bastard!

"Well, I'm glad to hear this from you, Max. We're gonna have a session right after school, in my darkroom."

No! Why can't I say the things I want to? I hate you, you fucking psycho, I would never –

"I like to think of it as...our dark room."

Why is this coming out from my mouth!? Why do I have no control of my body right now, everything moves on its own, doing the exact opposite I want to do.

"It's the only place I truly feel safe and protected from the storm."

There's no place in hell where I could feel more unsafe!

"Of course, Max. I can capture you over and over... You can be my model for life... And death. We are going to be so happy together, just make sure to stay pure... I won't like it of you get dirty like Rachel or Chloe."

His grin is creeping me out; I hope this conversation ends soon, especially since I don't have any control of it, not even of myself.

"Oh, speaking of which, it's about time somebody finally killed Chloe… Think of how often that bitch almost got me killed.  
It's like you're doing both of us an awesome favor."

What the fuck!? How could I ever say these words? And with such a tone! This is definitely not me. This can't be real. What the hell is this nightmarish world? Well, it's right, that I almost got killed sometimes, but as long as I can rewind, and I can save her, there's no problem with that.

"Chloe can never appreciate you the way I will…Maxine – And yes, I insist on calling you Maxine…forever."

I cringe at hearing my full name. I hate it. I don't want to be called like that ever again. And Chloe does care about me! Nobody understands her like me. And she understands me.

"I've been dreaming of the day when you would speak to me like that and finally tell me… I love you, Mr. Jefferson."

WHAT? I would never say that. The moment I think, the worst has been said, the next thing comes… Why, why is this happening? My head hurts like crazy, but I can't move away, I can't do anything!

"Call me Mark. We need to play catch-up on all the time we've wasted. Especially since there's nobody left in your life…."

"I love you, too, Max."

Stop this! Right now! Why can't I move or say anything? Wait. Did he just…touch his face, like I do sometimes when I'm talking with someone? This is so fucked up; I don't even know what to say anymore. Luckily, Mr. Jefferson seems to be done speaking and disappeared. This can't be real... I don't believe it.

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 **Sooo, there goes the first chapter, next one will come in a week, I hope...**  
 **Hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Neverending hallways

**Hello again :) !**  
 **New chapter, already a bit late, but I have so much things to do and so on... I think everybody can relate to that :')** **So here, this chapter is a little bit shorter, I hope, the next one will be longer. I guess, we'll see...**

 **So here, next part of recap of the nightmare, but also with something new added :)**

 **And I'm so happy to see, that someone already followed/favorited my story :3 Thank you x3 !**

 **Hope you enjoy my story :)**

 **Disclaimer: Life is Strange is owned by Dont Nod Ent., not me :')**

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The moment I can move again, I immediately want to leave the classroom, but as I open the door, I end up in the dorm. I start panicking. Did I bend time that much, that even space got distorted? How can I revert this, with a rewind? No. Who knows what would happen then... I should just keep going. That's when I realize all the candles on the floor. Why would there be...? I hear someone crying - is this Kate, sitting there in front of her room? I slowly walk towards her, and I'm speechless, when I see what's in front of her. A picture of her, looking like a memorial, but she didn't die? I could prevent it, so why? Kate notices me. "Hi Kate."

"Max, why did you stop me from jumping?!"

What is she talking about!? Suddenly, she stands behind me.

"What kind of friend are you? You never understood me... Or what happened to me.."

What's going on? She's kinda.. teleporting, always appearing on another side next to me. What's wrong with this world? I thought, I helped Kate, but what does she mean with these words? She appears in front of me again, but not facing me.

"Now my family will never leave me alone."

In an instance, she's really close to me, speaking directly into my ears.

"And that means I'll always be alone... Thanks to you!"

What is she talking about? She won't be alone! I'm her friend, right. I have to say something, and somehow, I manage to, while Kate is again behind me, I can feel her glares, stabbing me in the back.

"Kate, that's not true! I've always been your friend."

But she ignores me, appearing in front of the door. After that, Kate turns away, opening the door, white light shining in there, and she jumps down. Kate, why? I feel cold inside. What if the things she said are somehow true? I don't know what to believe anymore.

As I open the same door, I find myself in the dorm again. I slowly sit down, resting my head on my knees. It's hurting so much; maybe I should take a break from running around. I close my eyes and just think of how the week was, and of Warren, Chloe and Kate.

"Max. Please!"

Whoa, who was that?

"Max, you shouldn't do this to yourself, stop beating yourself up about all these things. It's not your fault!"

Is it because of the storm? Well, this IS my fault… But more importantly, who is this? It's a man's voice, somehow familiar, but I can't remember whom it belongs to.

"Max, don't go!"

I force my eyes open. Did I fall asleep? Was it just a dream? I can't decide, since this world doesn't feel really 'real'. I'm still in the girls' dorm. I'm in tears, what am I supposed to do? Where should I go? Maybe to my room? Since I don't know what's happening, I better head to my room and - what!? I open my door, and end up in the girls' dorm again? I have no plan what to do. How am I supposed to get out of here? Am I stuck in a time loop? And if so, in how many? I want to sit down again and cry, but suddenly, I hear something... Whispering. Is it coming from the doors?

I slowly walk towards one door. I gasp. "Where did I put those keys the last time? …think, think, think!" It's Chloe's father William, from the time he was searching his keys! I open the door and - end up in the girls' dorm again. What the fuck is this? Maybe I'll try another door… I walk through the hallway, and hear something again: "Sure, I'll give you the keys to my van!" Frank? Well, let's go through this door and…hallway again. What is this even? I shamble to my room, just to sit down and lean against the door. This hall never ends…I better find something. From the direction of my door, I hear again some distance whispering. "… The spare keys for Blackwell!" Chloe!? This was the time, we broke into school! How can I be so dumb? Their speaking of the key is supposed to be a somewhat hint, I should know how to solve some riddles after this long week, I went through! Good to know, that there is something, which wants to help me… I wander through the hallway again, searching for it, and there I see something shiny. A key! I pick it up from the table, somehow relieved, to have at least a clue of what to do now. It has the number 218 on it. That's Dana's room!

I put the key in the hole, slowly opening the door and going through. It's the girls' dorm again. Great! And now, something has changed, too. There are Rachel Amber posters all over the hallway, what could this mean? As I want to touch my forehead, since I still have crazy headaches, I notice another thing that changed. I'm suddenly wearing Rachel's clothes, which Chloe gave to me? This place is messing with my head…and sanity. I throw a glance at the map, and almost didn't notice another thing. Before turning away, I stop, to look at it clearly. The names are all messed up! Who are those people? 'Tara Garcia' stands where my name is supposed to be. And also Kate, Stella and Juliet were replaced. The only familiar people are Dana, Brooke … and Victoria. I sigh. But wait - there's Rachel Amber! Instead of Taylor, I think. Are these the names from the girls who were here the last year? Could be, but what should I do with this information. Again, I hear whispers, this time from everywhere. Chloe speaking about Rachel. Me being…somehow jealous of her? Chloe telling me of Rachel's sudden disappearance. Chloe yelling at Frank, where he got her bracelet. Back then, we didn't know anything. We didn't know about Rachel's bond with Frank, or Mr. Jefferson's true intentions. More and more whispering, causing me to remember more and more memories… Okay I got it. Well, since this universe wants to play mind games, maybe I could at least try Rachel's room, I'm already wearing her clothes after all! Perhaps I'll find a clue there.

Nope, I'm again in the girls' dorm. And again, it changed. No more posters, instead, there is graffiti all over the walls. Not the nice or artistic kind, but the mean ones. "Victoria sucks' and 'You suck, Victoria!' just to name two of them… Oh, did I say mean ones? There are several also reading 'Victoria Chase rulez'. Well, as much as I hate her for doing all these bad things to Kate and others, I can't completely hate her. Maybe, because I know, that she also got dragged into Mr. Jefferson's scheme? I realize, I'm wearing other clothes again. And somehow, I feel a breeze on my ears… wait what? I didn't just change clothes, I changed my whole appearance? To whom? As I touch my hair, I already know it. Why didn't I notice it immediately? This is somehow…Victoria's world? And therefore, I am Victoria. Okay, this only gets weirder. "Ah, water on my cashmere!.." Again, the whispers. I have to chuckle a bit, only to feel bad for doing it. But well, don't mess with Max! More Victoria-related things are whispered - I get it. I figured out your hallway game, to whoever this created. I'm going straight to Victoria's room.

Girls' dorm again…but at least I'm myself again.

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 **Soo, that's it for today, next chapter, next week ;3**

 **(Also, If someone finds grammer mistakes, typos etc. contact me, I want to keep mistakes down as much as possible ;) )**


	3. The dark maze

**I'm like sooooo sorry, I don't even know if it's possible to apologize this much for this unplanned break...**  
 **It's just... there were holidays, and projects and finals and ugh... well, excuses won't change the fact that I've almost abandoned this ff -**  
 **But now I'm back! Yay! And the story will probably be uploaded little quicker, since I feel so bad about this long break.**  
 **I have already written the next three chapters, but I got stuck at this one, and then motivation was sucked up by all the other stuff I had to do...**  
 **So, I'll jst reread what I've written so far from the next three chapters and will also be uploading them in the next days, we'll see (maybe I will have to rewrite some things...)**  
 **Well, I won't stop you any longer, here the new chapter! Progressing the recap of the game...**

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The girls' dorm changed again. Are these the pictures from my room, pasted all across the walls? The map is back to 'normal', but I don't know what normal is anymore. I open the door to my room, expecting the hallway again, and I got to the hallway. But in school. And that's not the only horrible thing.

What the hell is going on? Everything is moving backwards, despite being the same scene like after the one class of Mr. Jefferson! Everyone's going backwards, talking backwards, my head hurts. Even though it felt like it has been years, I still know exactly what happened. But I can't feel nostalgic now; I have to worry about this whole mess. What did I do to time? Will this stay like this forever? Will this horror ever end? Can I fix it? And if I can, how? Well, time to try out my powers one more time. I try to rewind, and strangely enough, I go back in time. And when I mean 'go back in time' then I mean playing everything backwards, what's already playing backwards. What the hell, this is so weird… But I can't do this for a long time! I can't keep rewinding the whole time, just that the time flows correctly. Or is this retribution? Maybe this is my punishment: In order to interact with this world and live on, I'll have to rewind forever? Until I die? Well, the time could be flowing correctly, but maybe it's me who's not going 'right'? What if my body somehow separated from the flow of time, constantly going backwards? Okay, this is really messed up, does this even make sense? I should calm down.

There has to be a way, or an explanation. When I feel a really bad pain in my head, I remember to stop using my power. I have to get out of this school; I need to rest somewhere calm. Some music will surely help me stay sane while going through the hallway. I plug in my earphones, clicking on one of my favorite songs and – what? – Even the music's playing backwards! I don't even care anymore; I have to go…wait. Is this… is this the deer spirit? It's standing there, in the middle of the hallway, glowing in white light. Maybe I should follow it. Until now, I always did it before, maybe it wants to help me. It walks to the bathroom. I remember doing that, when I first met Chloe after five years of ignoring her, saving her back then. The deer slips into white nothingness, and when I open the door, I'm not in the school bathroom, but at another place again. Will doors ever work in this universe? Or is space completely distorted? And is it probably my entire fault...?

It's a completely dark place, the door vanishes behind me. Somehow, I feel uneasy. What is this strange place again? In front of me, I see some walls, and the moment my eyes accustomed themselves to the darkness, I see the floor isn't complete. It doesn't have a clear end, it just blends to fractures of itself and then into dark nothingness. Better not trip. But where am I supposed to go now? What do I have to do here? In the distance, I see something familiar. But I am shocked to hear an also familiar voice shout loudly from not so far away.

"Don't try to hide, Max! Get over here…Let me capture you…" Oh god, Jefferson is coming after me again! I have to get out of here, and also, I should prevent Mr. Jefferson from finding me. Who knows what would happen afterwards….

"Max…you used to be so pure, so innocent…now you have to die." What!? He would kill me like Chloe if he finds me? I don't want that! Also, I have to somehow save Chloe…Okay, focus. Remember what you saw before. The lighthouse. Maybe I'll be safe there; maybe I'll wake up. I'm still hoping that this is a dream. I have to get there, maybe there's some kind of clue or door or whatever could bring me out of here.

"Please understand, Max…The only place I can be 'myselfie', is the darkroom…" Jefferson. Please just stop talking; I cringe at every sentence you say, but this time not only because of fear. Cautiously, I look around the corner of the walls. I gasp, when I see him wandering around with a flashlight. Okay, don't freak out. I hide behind the wall again. Breath in, breath out. Okay, now I have to go, or I'm stuck forever in here, and this is creepy as hell.

"What happened to your spark, Max? I thought I could be your professor…for life." And also, this might be hell. I sneak across the corner, crouched, and see Jefferson standing on one side of another wall, still speaking about me, or Rachel or his darkroom.

"I realize now, you'll never be an artist, much less a photographer...come here." I should try to not listen to him, in order to focus on sneaking around him without getting caught. I shudder, every time he calls my name. I almost got into a safe corner, when suddenly – "Max!" The flashlight is pointed towards me, and I squint my eyes because it's blinding me. He comes near me, and I try not to panic; and then I remember. I slap myself and – rewind! I see him walking back, and there I stop. I also remember that I got headaches. God, will they ever stop? But no time to whine (hey, that's a rhyme?), I have to continue my way out.

I stop crouching, and want to go on, relieved that I got away from Jefferson, when I hear something in front of me.

"I miss those days when you looked at me in class with those wide eyes…" Another Jefferson!? This dream is really testing me. Quickly, I hide behind the next wall, while hearing him speak on the other side. Why are there two of them? Is one not evil and fearful enough? Okay Max, get yourself together. Just use the same strategy, and in the end, I can use my rewind. I just shouldn't listen to him.

"I want to be your professor again…. I can teach you so much." This gets creepier with every sentence he says. My skin crawls. Better get away from here quick. Ugh, not listening to him doesn't work so well…

"Look into the lens, Max…Turn right...and left…Show me the love…and the hate." Memories of the darkroom are flashing before my eyes. Make it stop! I'm not going to break because of this piece of shit. Almost got through all these walls. When I finally leave this labyrinth, I see photo walls of me, which were put in a circle. In the middle is where I thought would be the lighthouse, except, it's not a lighthouse. It's a camera with a flashlight! I should avoid these, just to prevent more rewinds…but it moves around the circle so fast! I have to hide behind my photos. From the camera, I hear another voice speaking. Who is it now?

"Good evening, Blackwell." Principal Wells!? "This is Principal Wells, and I'm here to drop the mic on Max Caulfield." This feels so surreal, even more than Jefferson being here. Why is he here? And what will he talk about now.

"I regret to announce that one of your fellow classmates, Maxine Caulfield, has died -" What the fuck I died? Or is this only bullshit again? Is this another universe, a dream or just hell? Am I being punished for using my powers…?

"- under tragic circumstances that I promise to investigate after I get my drink on." You have to be joking! But somehow, this seems like this could be right. He didn't do shit against Nathan… or Mr. Jefferson.

"Will Miss Caulfield please come to the Dark Room immediately?" No! I run across the photo walls, somehow dodge the flashlight and come to a school hallway labyrinth. Will someone be here, too? It seems a lot calmer, but I won't let my guard down. I wasn't prepared for this.

"Hey Max, where are you...Max, come out to play…Come out to play!" Warren is here, too!? But why? And why is he against me? I know he is completely in love with me, and maybe, I didn't do much for him. But at least, he was nice to me, so why is he there, standing in the hallway with a flashlight?

"Ape, Ape, Ape… Who wants to go ape!?" And he sounds so scaringly crazy, I feel my skin crawl. Okay, I just have to avoid him. I realize, I did this already before… I'm a terrible person. But this is not the Warren I should apologize to. I have to come across him and leave this strange place. As I pass behind him, I hear him shouting "Go Ape! Go Ape! Ape! Ape!" So fucking scary! In a dark corner is the next one, and again, guilt floods through me honest.

"I wish I could press a button and blow this whole fucking school up." He doesn't seem to be as scary as the others before. He rather sounds completely damaged. I wish I could hug him, but he's dead, and this is supposed to be a scary poor copy of him, I think. I quickly pass him by, remembering his last words he talked when he left me a message. I hear him apologizing in my head and crying at the same time. I wish I could save him, too. But he's caught up in Jefferson's mess, so he would probably go to jail nonetheless. But at least he would be alive, and maybe get professional help. I move on, and when Nathan wasn't scary, the next one is the complete opposite.

"If I find out who went through my files…I'm gonna sic David Madsen on their ass." David! I shouldn't concentrate on all these negative things he says, he saved me back then! "You're such a hypocrite, Max. I may be a dick, but at least I'm honest." Ouch. I'm tired of listening to all of these people, so I quickly pass him by and reach something that should resemble the junkyard. And I knew he was going to be there:

"Get your bony ass over here, I'll cut you open freak!" I shiver at these words. I'm glad Chloe and I made up with Frank before the storm, but still, this scares me. "You will be my greatest portrait…" Another Jefferson, again!? He almost got me, because I stood there shocked like a deer. While I hide behind a pile of trash, I see something reflecting the flashlights, standing on a bench. Oh no… Bottles. I won't even bother with them, this is hell enough already. I cautiously continue my way through this evil maze, until I see Chloe's and Rachel's place from the junkyard. As my headaches are getting worse, I notice the chair standing in there. Max, sit down. You're taking a time-out, no matter what. If this is my nightmare, let me have one sanctuary... Of course, this is where Chloe and Rachel used to hide from the world. But I can't hide for long. Whatever reality I'm in, feels like a bad dream. Am I just not learning my lesson? Maybe your real lesson is to get out of this place. Just don't be afraid, Max. Let them be afraid of you. After reassuring myself that I'm gonna make it somehow, I stand up, and continue my way.

While still sneaking, I manage to get to the lighthouse. But nothing happens. What am I supposed to do? Rewind? No, surely not. I notice the bench, and decide to sit there, because I'm so tired and my head won't stop hurting. I let myself fall on it, and suddenly, it starts to snow. And the surroundings are changing again! Is this maybe the exit, finally? I look at the lighthouse, having more colors, seeming a little bit smaller and – a "Made in Taiwan" lettering!? And that's when I realize: I'm in a snow globe. And not in any snow globe, but in the one which is standing on top of the fireplace at Chloe's house. I'm just staring into Chloe's family's living room, as a familiar voice reaches my ears.

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 **That's it for today! (or tonight, whenever you're reading this..)**  
 **Well, I _did_ promise you a longer chapter, and after this break, you definitely deserved it. (I'm still sorry...)**  
 **Thanks for reading, and be sure to leave a review or something, so I'll know if you like it or not, or if I made some mistakes!**  
 **(The recap of the game will end after the next 1 1/2 chapter, I think, and then, the alternative end will start. I hope you'll like it...)**


	4. Me and myself

**Back, again, with a new, really long chapter :)**  
 **We're slowly coming to the end of the recap, in the next chapter, my origina alternate ending will start.** **So~ hope you enjoy reading this chapter, even though I am not really sure about my wording in some sentences... english isn't my native language after all :')**

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"Don't you dare question the chef!" It's William! No, don't tell me..

"Right, like you're the real cook here." Chloe! Why? This is the moment right before William wants to drive to Joyce, and then gets into a car accident! Please, I don't want to relive this..

Caught in my thoughts, I was startled by the telephone ringing. And I know who it is. I don't need to listen to know, what he's going to say.

"You'll be grateful for that someday." William answers as Chloe makes fun of him. This sentence… kills me. Neither of them knows, what will happen. I see him looking around for the keys, as suddenly, there's a flicker and myself as a kid, appears in front of me. Oh god, don't tell me I – she's trying to hide the keys. Or she did already hide them and is waiting for William to give up?

"Ah, you can't hide from me forever!" He found them, and my other me looks painfully at me, then disappearing with another light flicker. She couldn't save him, but at least, Chloe's not getting into a car accident, right? Right after that, my phone vibrates, and I look at the message and gasp.

"Hey Max, would you say hi to Chloe and Joyce? Don't forget to remind them that you let me die."

It's from William! And I can't believe this is happening… It's not my fault, right? I can't choose between William's and Chloe's lives! But even so, I did…

The light flashes again, and as I try to open my eyes again, I'm back - in my worst nightmare. I'm in the darkroom, tied up in the chair. Why am I back here again!? I want to get out of this hell of a universe or dream or whatever! I just can't take it anymore. How long will this go on? At least, Jefferson isn't here, ri-

A light flash, and suddenly he sits on the couch, looking at his camera. I get goose bumps, and begin to shiver. Why did he have to suddenly appear here?

"I think you'd be perfect for my new photo series on retro-grunge." Does he mean me? But he's not facing me at all – Oh my god, right next to me, there's Chloe standing and posing for him. What the fuck are you doing, Chloe!? Suddenly she turns her head and glares at me.

"You have the same qualities that I loved in Rachel Amber…. But not Max." Jefferson keeps talking.

Chloe looks back at the camera. "Max is a fuckin child…" What? Chloe, what are you talking about?

"Oh, I know… And she never shuts up, does she?" Jefferson is just agreeing with Chloe. Is this true? Do I always talk way too much? No, this can't be real; Chloe would never say that, right?

"I'm so over her hipster bullshit." Chloe, please, stop saying things like that! I feel tears coming from my eyes.

"I think everyone at Blackwell is over Max… Let's prove it." Oh Jefferson, just shut up! I've had enough of your bullshit. What hurts me most is what Chloe is saying… Light flash again, Jefferson gone, but instead, Warren appeared. They're standing really close… What is this supposed to mean?

"Booyah, Warren! I thought you were all over Max's shit." Oh no, they didn't! Did they just kiss?

"Not after she kissed me! Her breath was ass and no tongue." What the fuck, Warren, you too? Is this true?

"I hear that. I'm not into nerds… but you're pretty cute." What? Chloe? And Warren? But…

"I'm not into Max, anyway. So… let's bust a move!" And then they get closer and kiss each other. What am I even doing right here!? I don't want to see this, but my body won't move. Warren didn't love me? I don't know how to feel about this. And Chloe…

Again a light flash, and Nathan and Chloe are sitting on the couch.

"Goddamn, you're such a sexy bitch! Why hang out with Max, huh?" Nathan…

"Boredom. Plus she's like my personal puppet." What the hell, Chloe!? What am I supposed to feel? This can't be real, right? Chloe is my best friend, or even more... So why does she say things like that now? This has to be a nightmare!

"I hear that. Do you… want to party? I got a drugstore in my room." Oh Nathan, nothing good comes with having drugs…

"Oh shit! Look at Max spying on us… Take a fucking picture, bitch! Or take a selfie!" I'm shocked! They can see me? But when they know I'm here, why would they talk about me in such a manner? Do they want me to hear them? Do they want me to break because of this? Again, the scene changes, and Chloe's suddenly only in her underwear, dancing on the couch.

"See, this is how you bust a move, Max! No mosh pit for you, shaka brah!" Please… stop this! When will this end? Why can't I move my body? Chloe dis- and reappears together with Victoria. They are… flirting with each other?

"Damn, Victoria… You're a real woman… not a little girl like Max…" Okay, I've understood it already, so stop talking! Maybe I am childish… maybe I still am not even remotely adult, but I heard you, so please, stop this madness! I don't even care what they're saying anymore, I just know what's going to happen. They kiss.

Suddenly, Chloe appears right in front of me. What's shocking me, is, that it's Chloe from the timeline where I saved William. She angrily stares at me, sitting in her wheelchair.

"Why did you get rewind powers? You don't even know how to use them right…" Why, indeed? Why did I get all these powers? I really don't know what to do with them anymore. I just thought if I could save Chloe and somehow find out the cause of the storm I saw, I'd use them for good. But what am I really doing?

"Rachel's dead and you're still alive. Life is… so not fair." Tears start flowing down my cheeks, remembering how we found out about Rachel. Am I being selfish? For only wanting to save Chloe? Would Chloe be able to save Rachel, too, if she had the powers? Probably… And I'm here, jumping from realities to realities, and not being able to accomplish anything. Suddenly, original Chloe's back, with a camera in her hand.

"I wish you would have never come back to Arcadia Bay… You're the real storm!" I gasp. What does that mean? Am I the cause of all this? Well, if I hadn't come back, would nothing of this have happened? The flash of the camera interrupts my thoughts, and the surroundings fade again in the blinding white light.

I realize where I am, it's the bathroom of the Two Whales Diner. At least I'm not in the school building or anywhere near. I could go for something to eat, some of Joyce's pancakes maybe. This would mean so much to me right now… if she is here, since this is a bizarre copy of the normal reality.

I want to open the door, but it won't open? Oh, I see. There's something next to the door. God, please no. I'll be so grateful if this is the last digit code. But what numbers should I enter? I try a random number, out of frustration. Of course it's wrong - what the fuck? My eyes widen, as I look at the walls. Great! Numbers are all over the place! How will I find the right ones? I try a couple, before going down on my knees. How am I supposed to get out of here? How many numbers are written on these walls? Is there a pattern? Some of them seem to be repeated some times, but I can't figure out the solution of this riddle. Even though I've been trained all these weeks… Before having a meltdown, I decide to splash my face with water, and there I notice. Now why doesn't he mirror reflect any of the numbers? I stare at it, trying to find the missing piece of this puzzle. That's when I see the only visible number. 0311! I jump to the door, and am so relieved of finally getting out of here.

But what's going on here? Everyone I know of Arcadia Bay is right now here, only that they are frozen, sitting or standing there emotionless. What's not frozen is the sound of whispering voices. I slowly walk through the diner, looking at and listening to everyone around here. And so many people are here right now… all sounding really broken and disappointed.

"I guess I'll never dance again, Max" Dana!

"Right when I was about to start a new life in California…" Some dude sitting in front of Joyce and David.

"Shit Max… And I thought we're on the same team. Now I'll die alone." Frank, what's going on here? Don't say such things!

"Max, I hope you do the right thing… I hope." Juliet…

"I can't believe you kissed me… Now you're going to kill me?" Warren, no!

"Honey, I've always thought of you like a daughter… and now you're gonna take me away from my family? Why would you do that?" Joyce, no… I want to save everybody! Don't worry, I'll fix this! Definitely… My eyes are getting wet again.

"Max. You're exactly the kind of soldier I'd want to be on my side in war…" David, do you think I'm that cold?

"Killing me is sooo not cool…" "Wow Max, right when I finally found a cool chick to date, you have to kill us off. This sucks!" Justin, Trevor, I don't want to kill you! I don't want anyone to die!

"I know I haven't been the best principal to you, but you've been a great Everyday Hero for us!" The sarcastic undertone in Principal Well's voice hurts. But I've tried to help everyone! I tried so hard…

"Max, I hope you can live with yourself after this" says someone behind the counter. Well, can I?

"Don't let the squirrels die!" Even Samuel is here…

"I wish we had been friends, Max. But please, don't let me die like this. I'm still a teenager." Victoria, I wanted to be friends with you, too, and we still can be! When I find the end of this hell, when I get out of here and start a new timeline, I can surely fix everything, right?

"Max, I-I truly am sorry about being such a bastard to ya… you would have been cool to hang out with. I just don't want everybody else to suffer like me." Oh god Nathan! I suspected you to be the culprit from the start because of this mess… If I just could have found out earlier, if I just wouldn't have been so narrow minded. But now I know, so I'll do everything right next time…

"You've always had my back, and now you're going to let me die!? Thanks Max!" It's true, I did save Alyssa some times, but I don't want her to die!

"Max, I want you to know how much confidence you gave me. Nobody ever did that for me." Oh Daniel… At least you're grateful for my help…

And then I notice the only moving person in the whole Diner: Myself? Maybe this is some alternate universe, and I could surely help myself out... This sounds so crazy. Well, anyways, I have to talk to myself.

"Who… who are you?" Dumb question, but who knows… The other I shoots me another glare.

"Holy shit, are you cereal? I'm you, dumbass!" Ok, no need to be that insulting, but then, she, myself – ok, it's getting confusing – surely knows a way out of this, or we can work together to find a solution. "Or I'm one of many Maxes you've left behind…" Left behind? What does that mean? Did I always just flee from a dimension, letting things go horribly wrong there? I gulped at the thought. Anyway, she surely knows a way out, right?

"Can you get me out of here?" My other I glares at me.

"Oh, so you want help? Thought you could control everybody and everything, huh? Twist time around your fingers?" What? Is she accusing me of abusing my power, of being obsessed with my advantage of controlling time? No, I use them for good! I saved Kate. I found out about Mr. Jefferson and much more.

"I tried to help… I only wanted to do the right thing-"

"No, you only wanted to be popular. And once you got these amazing powers, your big plan was to trick people into thinking you give a rat's ass." She looks at the people around us. Why is she so mean to me, we're the same person, aren't we?

"I do care! That's why I was trying to make friends..." I reply with a broken voice. She just hisses at me.

"By telling people what they want to hear? You were just looking for a shortcut, because you can't make friends on your own." What is she saying? I can't make friends on my own? Of course I can! I don't want to believe this. And I won't believe it.

"That's not true. I have great friends. And I've used my powers for good."

"Please, stop playing innocent. You're a goddamn hypocrite."

Well, she's not completely wrong, is she? I suddenly remember rewinding because I didn't know what a skate move was and Justin called me a 'poser'. I remember rewinding while talking to Brooke, because she called me stupid since I didn't know the name of her drone. I remember rewinding because I didn't know Juliet's complete name. I keep remembering more of these situations, am I really just a hypocrite?

"You've left a trail of death and suffering behind you." That's it!

"That was not my fault, you son of a bitch!" I almost shout at myself. Seems weird, but this can't be me, would I be so hard on myself?

"Don't you dare talk about our mom that way… ha! What about the crap that was your fault?"

I open my mouth to say something, but she interrupts me again.

"Wait, wait let me guess… You fucked up time and space for your precious punk Chloe!" Well, if you put it that way…

"You think she's worth all that?" It's not only Chloe!

"We all are. This isn't about Chloe… or even me anymore." This is right, there are more people involved than just Chloe and me. But she will never be satisfied with my thinking, I guess.

"Gosh! You're so selfless now, Mahatma Max. It's too bad you pissed your power away on high school drama." Well, at least I managed to get a fucking psycho into jail!

"Chloe does a better job of guilt-tripping me than you do."

"Because you let her bully you! It's called 'Stockholm Syndrome'. But you didn't do that homework… So you'll have to learn the hard way. Like Rachel…" Leave Rachel out of this! She starts to sound like Mr. Jefferson…

"Just shut up. You're not scaring me anymore." Is this true? She isn't scaring me, right? Because I'm already so mad at her, I don't even care that she looks like me.

"I'd be more worried about Chloe killing us than Jefferson… Max, do you really think she's our friend? That she respects us in any way?" What the fuck did you say!? Chloe needs me, and so do I need her. We lifted the mystery behind Rachel and Jefferson together! We have to stay together, no matter what. But Max 2 only goes on ranting about me.

"Man, you are so stupid. I'm embarrassed to have the same name. And someday Chloe will destroy-" She stops, as the door of the diner opens.

"Oh hell, speak of the devil..." It's almost same line Joyce said when I first went to the Two Whales Diner after five years. As then, Chloe turns up, gets to our table and jumps on the seat opposite the other person claiming to be 'me'.

"Dude, do not even dare fuck with her head!" Chloe shouts at her, while looking seriously mad. "She knows what we went through together this week and you don't! There's no way you can break up our team! This is reality!" But she just ignores Chloe, taking out the same camera and getting into a pose for taking a selfie. Suddenly they freeze.

Well, hope you enjoyed, and be sure to leave a review some time, I'd be really happy to know if you like my ff ^-^!  
Next chapter will come this wednesday! If nothing comes in the way of me uploading it ^^'


	5. The end?

**We're coming closer to the end of the recap ;) So it's not the end, calm down, the title just seems fitting... I'm bad with chapter titles, but I also don't want to leave them as "Chapter x" :'D**  
 **I feel like this chapter seems to be so focused on Max and Chloe, but I didn't want to point out a romantic relationship between them... originally :')**  
 **Hope you'll still enjoy this chapter ^-^**

* * *

"After five years, you're still Max Caulfield."

"I am seriously glad to see you."

"Welcome home, Max. Fasten your seatbelt."

Everything is black, except my other me, suddenly sitting in Chloe's truck with her. What, this is the scene, where Chloe drove me away from Blackwell, after Warren protected me from Nathan! Why is this here and why is it frozen in here? I try to get nearer to the scene, but some kind of barrier is blocking me from doing so. Well, what am I supposed to do? Asking myself this question has really become normal in this… nightmare. I can barely see a path in all this black, but more importantly, I can see the lighthouse far in the distance. I have to get there! Maybe, from there, I can find a way out of this mess. I walk slowly, and suddenly, something else lights up.

"I, uh… know it was your birthday last month. This was my real father's camera… I want you to have it."

"Yes, of course it's cool! Thank you… This camera is so sweet."

"Now that we got the mushy shit out of the way, I feel like stage diving! Let's trash this place! Yep, yep! I'm fucking insane in the brain! Let's dance! Shake that bony white ass! Or take my picture with your new camera!"

This was when Chloe gave me her father's camera as a present, because I had birthday, and mine broke when I was pushed by Nathan. But still, why is this here? I keep on going, when; again, a new scene is lit. Chloe frozen in the middle of dancing, even the smoke of her cigarette doesn't move; and me taking a picture of her. I just have to smile at Chloe's words…

"This song fucking rules! Can't dance, hippie? Come on! Rawk out, girl! – Yo, turn it off, turn it off! You need to hide. Now! My stepdad will kill me if he finds you here!"

And then, our sweet reunion was interrupted by David. Well, but what is this supposed to mean? Hm. Until now, everything was connected to me and Chloe. Maybe, these are all kea memories, which will lead me to a solution? Now, I have to go on and find out the truth! Next is me and Chloe sitting on the bench next to the Lighthouse. I remember it immediately.

"You were here today, Max. You saved me! I'm still tripping on that… Seeing you after all these years feels like-"

"Destiny?"

"If this is destiny, I hope we can find Rachel. I miss her, Max."

Destiny, huh? I wonder if things like this even exist. And in the end, we did find Rachel… I have to go on. But then I notice the scene in the back. It's me and Chloe again, no standing in front of the bench and looking up at the sky. Oh, I see. The snowflakes all around us are also frozen – wow, Max, way to sound stupid.

"What the hell is this?"

"Snowflakes… Or a storm is coming!"

"Max, start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

Again, a memory of me and Chloe. And this was also an important moment, since Chloe didn't believe that something strange was happening in Arcadia Bay. Of course, the next scene has to be when we were in the Diner, and she was over eagerly to learn about my powers. In fact, we all know, she wanted to have fun with it…

"Let's talk about your superpower… Epic! I pledge allegiance to Mac and the power for which she stands. You can rewind time, Max. That's fucking insane. We have to play! You need a sidekick to guide you."

"Okay, Girl Wonder, show me the way to Chloe's Cave."

I have to laugh at Chloe's vow, but... is Chloe stupid for wanting to play with such a great power? At that time, I could only imagine the consequences. On the other hand, she can't be blamed. Life has given her so much shit, it's natural to want to have fun despite of being in an endless loop of negativity… Maybe I should lighten up a bit, but in this situation right now, I don't know if I should feel nostalgic or just dumb because I didn't think of the consequences. Well, at least I should continue my way to the lighthouse. On the next scene, me and Chloe – again – are sitting on top of an old car. I don't even need Chloe's introduction to know where we were sitting at that time.

"Welcome to American Rust, my home away from hell."

"Raw and rough. It suits you…"

"Max, do you know how awesome this is? I get my best friend back and she's also supersized?"

"I… don't… feel so… super…"

"Max, here let me help you find a place to chill… You freaked me out there. Do you feel any better now?"

The junkyard, Chloe's, and also Rachel's, hideout. And this was the first time, I really collapsed because of using my power too much. That's when I realized, that my suspicion of my power having major consequences was confirmed. But I still didn't realize how strong my fate is tied to Chloe. Even after the next scene that appeared in front of me. Tracks.

"You saved me again. Crazy. Now we're totally bonded for life! Since you're the mysterious superhero, I'll be your faithful chauffeur and companion."

"My powers might not last, Chloe."

"That's okay – we will. Forever."

This is to the poor copy of me insulting me and saying, Chloe was only using me to have fun. She didn't just like the power I had. She wanted to be with me forever. A small tear runs down my cheek as I think of that and look at us, balancing along the rails. This was also the time, were I started worrying about my powers. But not only my worries, but my determination to work together with Chloe to find out what's going on in Arcadia Bay rose. That explains the next scene. Me and Chloe standing in front of Principal Well's office door.

"I'm so glad you're my partner in crime."

"As long as you're my partner in time. I might get on the other side of that door before you, Lupin."

"The race is on. See you soon… Welcome to my domain."

"You are magic. I have no clue how the hell you got in there, but you did it, sista."

Well, I didn't do this on my own, Warren helped me. Chloe couldn't know that I rewinded the time after detonating the bomb. Well… at least that Chloe. Of course, now we're sitting in front of Principal Well's computer.

"Max, you better come check out these files…"

"It's not a drawing… look, 'Rachel in the dark room'... Over and over, that's it… No, you are not taking the cozy chair."

"Max, do your powers include mind-reading? Or did you just rewind because I tried to steal the chair? Shit, I'm confused."

"It's the powers of best friendship. I know how you roll…"

I can't help but smile again at Chloe, even though it now leaves a bitter taste, since we found Nathans 'drawing' which led us to the dark room and Rachel. I somehow still feel guilty while thinking of him. But I can't help but feel nostalgic when I see what comes next.

"Cowabunga!"

"Why, look! An otter in my water!"

"Your power is changing everything, Max. Especially you. I can already tell. You're not so chickenshit anymore."

"Thanks, girlfriend."

"And you make me feel like I have a reason for still being in Arcadia Bay…"

We, together, taking a dive in the school's swimming pool was so refreshing, in more than one way. But it surprised me, that I didn't notice how my power also changed me. I don't mean it in a bad way, but I got more courage to do things, and not just observe everything. Also, even though we just met, Chloe already understood me so well that she could noticed this change in me. I mean, we were in the school swimming pool at night after breaking into the Principal's office! Before this week, I could never have imagined me doing something like that. The next scene, we're fleeing from David.

"Let's call it a draw… I'm gonna freeze my ass off when I get out… You look cute with your hair soaked in chemicals."

"Hide!"

"You can't go back to your dorm now, you're a Blackwell fugitive! Crash at my place tonight."

This is how I ended up sleeping at Chloe's place. And this leads to the next scene, in the morning…

"Photo-bomb!"

"Photo-hog! It feels like a different world from yesterday."

"We left a skid mark on Blackwell last night."

"Wish we could just hang out all morning like we used to…"

"Maybe I should get up, I have to get back to Blackwell soon."

My heart beats a little faster, thinking back to the following scene.

"I double dare you, Kiss me now… Damn, you're hardcore, Max! Now I can text Warren and tell him he doesn't stand a chance, unless he's into girl-on-girl action."

"You are such a dork."

I still can't believe I did this that time. I'm staring at me and Chloe, holding that pose were we kissed. I'd love to get back to this moment, but right now, I have to go on and get out of here. Next is me and Chloe searching through Frank's RV.

"Oh, we could totally cruise everywhere in this bad boy! Can you see us heading down the coast to Big Sur or beyond? I know, just daydreaming."

How I would have loved to do this with you Chloe. Well, we'll surely do it some time. I gasp when I see the next set of figures: It's still me and Chloe, but we're children, from that time… William…

"Not until I see it first! You know the rules, Dad! Dude, I am so lucky that my father is cool… Max, you are being so fucking strange, do you feel okay?"

"Chloe, I am awesome. We are awesome!"

At that time, I didn't know how 'awesome' I was, and I don't even want to see what's coming next, but it lights up right in front of me. Me and Chloe, in a wheelchair, at the beach.

"It's weird hanging out with you again."

"I know… I'm glad we are, though."

"Look, the worst thing you can do is treat me like a baby. I still want to laugh and talk shit with my best friend. Can we stop? This is seriously the best view of the sunset. What do photographers call that?"

"The golden hour."

Seeing Chloe in this wheelchair, with almost no will to live, still breaks me. Now we're looking at photos from the past. Looking through memories while looking at memories. Kinda strange.

"Whoa, awesome picture. We look so badass in our pirate gear."

"We should have taken over Arcadia Bay when we had the chance."

I can't rest here feeling melancholic while looking at memories, I have to get out of here. This is enough already. I see me, being happy about being back to the 'original' reality, in which William is dead, but Chloe's alive. And finding the binders in the dark room. Finding Rachel at the junkyard. Chloe's painful screams. I'm walking faster and faster, having only the light house as my destination. I almost reach it, when I see Chloe dragging me the path to the lighthouse. Suddenly, Chloe's voice rings out, but not like the voices before, more like it's coming from everywhere.

"Come on Max, we're almost there!"

What? I don't remember this scene? What is this supposed to mean? Slowly, but surely, I'm also feeling cold, almost as if my clothes were soaked in water. This feeling gets stronger, the nearer I get to Chloe.

"Please wake up!"

Wake up? I try to walk faster towards her, but my body starts to feel heavy.

"Max, can you hear me?"

Chloe! I can hear you! I want to scream, but my body is getting numb to the cold. My head aches are getting stronger again while I manage to get myself as near as possible to her, losing my consciousness again. That's when I open my eyes and feel the cold wind and the cold rain in my face again.

"Max? Max, can you hear me? Please, say something." Chloe. I look around, trying to adjust to the situation. She's been dragging me the whole way to the lighthouse while I was away in a nightmare, I think.

"Chloe?" I regain my breath, feeling relieved by finally being able to speak again, " I.. I must have passed out… Sorry."

"Oh, thank God… Don't you ever do that again, okay?" Chloe's alive, right next to me, caring about me. I feel anxious thinking back to what her bad copy said in the nightmare.

"I swear… but that nightmare was so real, was so horrible…" I stop, while standing up, and finally gazing at the storm. It's hella big. And it's coming towards us. Towards Arcadia Bay. I don't know if I'm shaking because of the coldness or out of fear. Then, the guilt hit me again.

"This is my storm. I caused this… I caused all of this!" I utter to Chloe. "I changed fate and destiny so much that… I actually did alter the course of everything. And all I really created was just death and destruction!" I'm shaking my head, at myself. How could I do this and still think, I used my powers for good? But Chloe interrupts my spiral of thinking by grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Fuck all of that, okay? You were given a power. You didn't ask for it, and you saved me. Which had to happen, all of this did… except for what happened to Rachel." Chloe's looking me straight in the eye, saying all these things to defend me.

"But without you're power, we wouldn't have found her! Okay, so you're not the goddamn Time Master, but you're Maxine Caulfield…" Somehow, it doesn't affect me, if Chloe calls me Maxine. "… and you're amazing." I don't know what to answer to this; I just avoid her gaze, and look troubled at the storm. From the corner of my eye, I can see Chloe pulling something out of her bag. I have a suspicion what it could be.

"Max, this is the only way." She looks down, with a somehow broken expression, handing me a photo. The one photo I took of the blue butterfly. I grab it hesitantly, in disbelief, that this was at the beginning of all this.

"I feel like I took this shot a thousand years ago." I sigh out. I feel like I know what's coming next, but I don't want to hear it. Chloe keeps staring me right in the eye.

"You… you could use that photo to change everything right back when you took that picture…" I look at Chloe, not being able to believe what she's saying. "All that would take is for me to… me to…" Chloe's voice breaks and she can't bring this sentence to an end. But we both know what she means. She buries her face in her hands, sobbing. I can't let that happen, never!

"Fuck that! No… no way! You are my number one priority now. You are all that matters to me." I say with certainty. Chloe looks up, but not at me, here expression seems to be guilty.

"I know. You proved that over and over again… even though I don't deserve it." She finally turns back to me. "I'm so selfish, not like my mom. Look what she had to give up and live through – and she did! She deserves so much more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner. Even my step… father deserves her alive. There's so many people in Arcadia Bay who should live… way more than me." Joyce and the others really don't deserve this. But still…!

"Don't say that… I won't trade you!" I almost shout at her, feeling somehow attacked.

"You're not trading me. Maybe you've just been delaying my real destiny. Look at how many times I've almost died or actually died around you. Look at what's happened in Arcadia Bay ever since you first saved me." She… she does have a point, though. "I know I've been selfish, but for once I think I should accept my fate… our fate." She garbs me by my shoulders again, still looking at me. I only manage to mumble a weak "Chloe…", before she goes on.

"Max, you finally came back to me this week, and you did nothing but show me your love and friendship. You made me smile and laugh, like I haven't done in years." I am overwhelmed by what an impact this week left on her. It really was one hella week, but still… "Wherever I end up after this… in whatever reality, all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours. No matter what you choose, I know you'll make the right decision."

"Chloe… I can't make this choice!" I exclaim to her, but she shrugs and just grabs ma again, while shaking her head.

"No, Max… you're the only one who can."

I don't know what to say, feel, think and do. I was hopping through all these alternate universes, rewinding like crazy, just to prevent Chloe from dying, and now she's telling me to choose between Arcadia Bay and her life? I can't kill off the whole population of Arcadia Bay because of one person. But, Chloe is the only person I love. The only person I care the most. The person for which I did all of this. I don't know what to do. I realize the tears flowing from my cheeks.

"Chloe…I can't do that! I did it all for you!" I cry out.

"I know, but it's the only choice we have to save Arcadia Bay! … It's time, Max!"

"Not anymore!" I shout with determination. I don't want this lifetime of effort to go to waste, to be completely wasted! Chloe looks shocked.

"But Max..!" Before she could say something more, I rip the photo apart. I want to leave this town with Chloe, I want to go on a road trip with her, I just want to live with her, as long as I'm alive! I can't let her die; she's too precious to me, even if I'm being selfish.

"I'll always be with you, Max… forever."

I feel Chloe coming near, until standing finally next to me, but I also feel my head hurting again, more and more, my vision is getting a little blurry. Until it vanishes completely.

"It's time, Max!"

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 **Whoa, what happened? Sorry for doing that kind of cliffhanger, I don't normally like to do this, but well... this chapter is too long :'D**  
 **It could be that the next ones won't be that long, sorry :')**  
 **Thanks for reading, and I would reaaally appreciate some reviews ;3**


	6. Forget the horror here

**Hey, I'm sooo sorry! It turned into a longer wait again... and now it's even a shorter chapter... I'm sorry :**  
 **But now it's here, so please enjoy it anyway :**  
 **Also, since I'm bad with chapter titles, it took me longer than expected to decide between two lines from "Spanish Sahara", in case anyone noticed ^^"**

* * *

What!? Did someone just rewind time? Someone else than me? Chloe? What if she earned powers and used them subconsciously?

"Chloe…can you rewind time?"

She looks at me disturbed.

"If I could, the world would be different! Now, do it, Max! You're the only one!"

Well, the nightmare was scarier than that.

"I'm sorry, Chloe, I can't."

I rip the photo apart again.

"It's time, Max!"

I'm holding the photo in the hands, the photo without a sign of any damage. What the hell is that? Why can't I stop this and just go away or something? I start to cry, while falling to my knees, not caring about the cold and wet ground. I can't take this anymore. Chloe sits down beside me, hugging me, feeling comforting.

"Chloe…you know, I can't give you up. I can't kill you again! I don't want my journey to save you go to waste!"

"I know, Max, but, it's the only way…Don't make me freak out, too, okay?"

I look at Chloe's face, which has a broken expression on it, tears running down again.

"Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we just run away, drive somewhere else with your truck and start a new life there?" Chloe looks at me, not knowing what to say.

"Max, this is crazy! What about Arcadia Bay?" she finally finds words, but I notice a hopeful undertone in her voice.

"You said you wanted to drop a bomb on Arcadia to turn it to fucking glass. Sure, some people were different, than we thought, but still, I can't live at this place anymore. Not after all these things, and surely not without you. Let's go!"

I jump up, pulling Chloe with me. We run down to the street, while you could already hear the destruction from the storm coming closer. My head hurts like crazy, but we have to flee. We jump into Chloe's truck, and already are nearly past the sign of Arcadia Bay, as I lose consciousness again.

"It's time, Max!"

What!? Not again? How often do I have to do this again? Is this retribution for rewinding every unnecessary situation? Is my power getting out of control? I want to scream, but then I notice that the storm is much bigger now! But I didn't rewind time, so it should stay the same size, shouldn't it? As much logic one could apply to this effect anymore… Chloe also looks surprised.

"Whoa! The storm suddenly got bigger! Max, you need to hurry!"

"But I –"

"Do it, now!"

"NO!" I throw away the photo, and it gets eaten by the storm.

"Let's run away, Chloe!"

I take her hand, before she can complain, and run down the hill, to where her truck is standing. But before we reach it, I fall to the ground, not being able to move.

"Max! Don't push yourself too much!"

But I already know, what's happening next.

"It's time, Max!"

"Oh God, the storm got hella big suddenly!" Chloe screams shocked. I know.

"I know, Chloe."

I don't know why, but I have to do it. There's no other way.

"Max, what's wrong? You look really pale right now!"

"Chloe, I wanted to run away with you. I tried it again and again. But it won't work. I heard you saying 'It's time, Max!' over and over again. The storm got bigger every time. But now, it comes to an end. There's no choice, I have no choice. When I try it again, we'll die. I'm sorry, Chloe! I I really don't want to do this…"

"I know, Max. But we have to. We have to save everybody, okay?" she says determined, but still softly, as if I had it worse than her, even though she'll die soon. "And you'll make those fuckers pay for what they did to Rachel." Her expression changes to a mix of nostalgia and despair, but she still tries to smile though it.

"Being together this week… it was the best farewell gift I could have hoped for. You're my hero, Max." I feel a warm feeling flowing through my body, but also sadness.

"Oh, Chloe… I'm gonna miss you so much."

I pull Chloe closer to me, and we kiss. We separate each other. Tears running down on both our cheeks.

"I'll always love you… Now, get out of here, please! Do it before I freak." Chloe slowly walks backwards, already crying while saying this. I should probably hurry, this is too much for her, too…

"And Max Caulfield? Don't' you dare forget me…"

"Never" I say, full of determination. I will never forget her. Ever. She's my life. She was my life. I focus on the photo, as much as my hurting head lets me, and there she goes.

I'm back to where I made the photo. Knowing what will happen, I sit down, with my back to the wall. The familiar scene, I already lived two times. The door opens. Nathan enters the bathroom.

It's cool, Nathan – Don't stress, you're okay, bro, just… count to three…Don't be scared. You own this school… If I wanted, I could blow it up! … I'm the boss." Nathan is reassuring himself, while I wait for Chloe to turn up, fearing the moment when he…

"So what do you want?"

There she is. "I hope you checked the perimeter, as my step-ass would say. Now, let's talk bidness!"

"I got nothing for you."

Wrong, you got hella cash!"

You don't know who the fuck I am or who you're messing around with!" As Nathan is getting more and more aggressive, I press my hands to my head, knowing what's going to happen.

"Where'd you get that?" I don't want to hear it.

"What are you doing? Come on, put that thing down!" I don't want to experience it again.

"Don't EVER tell me what to do." No…

"I'm so SICK of people trying to control me!" I don't want this to happen!

"You're going to get in hella more trouble for this than drugs." I don't want it…

"Nobody would even miss your punk ass, would they?!" I would! And Joyce, even David…

"Get that gun away from me, psycho!"

My whole body cringes at the sound of the gun shot. I bury my head in my arms, which are lying on my knees. I see the tears falling down to the floor, while the blue butterfly just disappears into the wall. I hear Nathan, regretting what he did, and panicking about Chloe's body lying on the ground, under it a growing puddle of her blood. I feel myself losing consciousness again, since I will skip all the events until the point of time, where I left.

When I regain it, I'm standing close to the lighthouse, wearing a black dress. I can already guess, why I'm wearing it. I look at the beautiful scenery, without the storm, only the beauty of the ocean and the rest of the nature in the 'Golden Hour', perfectly lighted by a cloudless sky and the warmth of the setting sun. Staring into the distance, I'm brought back by my phone vibrating. "Hey Max, where are you? It's gonna start soon..." My intuition* was right. It's her funeral. I don't know what else happened, but I guess I'll see.

I walk towards Joyce, David and Warren; already standing in front of her coffin. God, I can't believe that she's gone forever. Joyce is crying already, while I arrive at the sight. Gladly, Kate's standing next to them, so she didn't die here either. I position myself next to Warren. I hear a cracking branch of a tree, and when I look behind me, even Frank and Pompidou are there. Somehow, I'm happy they're here. The pastor begins his speech, while everyone looks down. While I'm listening to him, tears rolling down my cheeks again, I notice the blue butterfly suddenly showing up. He flies around until he sits down on top of the coffin. I know that this is the same as the one in the bathroom I somehow have to smile at it.

And then I collapse again.

* * *

 **Yeah, another cliffhanger. And another time of Max collapsing... geez this girl should care more about her health! Jk I'm sorry :')**  
 **I promise I'm going to update faster this time, but it will take me at least 45 days since I have so much things to do... also I'm a master at procrastinating...**  
 **I'm trying really hard for you, okay ;')**


	7. Waking up

**Hey, I'm back again with a new chapter ^^!**  
 **Well, here my alternate ending will really start, so I'm not sure if you're gonna like it, but I would be really interested in your reactions :3**  
 **Also, I've completely written the next three chapters, but I'm probably going to rewrite them, because I'm not sure if I like the way the things are happening... I guess we'll see :)**  
 **Now, enjoy the chapter ^^**

* * *

"Max! Hey, Max! Are you all right?"

A somehow familiar voice is speaking to me, but I can't follow the conversation, because my head is still hurting.

"Please, just stay here in Bed."

It must be a woman, but I'm unsure if I know her. Maybe I'm at the hospital. I slowly open my eyes, but I'm alone. The room is completely white. Yep, I'm at the hospital. The woman went to the bathroom before I looked around. But why do I have to collapse the whole time, I thought, this would stop with me losing my rewind powers? Did I even lose them? Does the butterfly have something to do with it? I reach out my hand and try to do something. Nothing happens. No rewind and no headaches. At least no more then I already have. A doctor comes back, and asks me if I have headaches again, which I reply to with a nod. He gives me some painkillers. "Glad you finally woke up! But you should rest more, you've endured so much." I nod, and lay down again, closing my eyes, while I hear the door close. Sure, I've been through so much this 'week', but they only know about Chloe, not about all the other Chloes from alternative universes, not about Nathan, not about Rachel. I sigh. I should try to sleep, since the painkillers will work soon. I close my eyes and fall asleep immediately.

"Hello Max, finally you're back from the hospital, so we can continue, where we left." What, Mr. Jefferson!? I'm tied up again, sitting in the chair in front of him in his darkroom. My whole body shivers while I'm already panicking again. He is just jumping around, taking Pictures of me in every possible angle. What is wrong, I was just sleeping in the hospital, so why am I here? Will this nightmare ever end? Maybe this is really just a nightmare! And the hospital was reality? Suddenly he stops, he's not holding his camera anymore, but a needle which I'm more familiar with than wanted. I panic while he's coming closer and closer. Oh god, please, no! Stop this! I'm throwing myself as much as possible in this chair, so he won't be able to touch me, but he's faster and stronger than me. He grabs my head, tilts it forcefully, and already points the needle at my throat.

"Max! Max! I'm right here, Max! Please, wake up." A voice seems to be shouting from everywhere.

"Chloe?" I whisper desperately, as I suddenly open my eyes. And I can't believe what I see. A woman with long brown hair is looking at me. I almost forgot. How could I forget?

"Mom!"

She throws her arms around me, crying out of joy. I'm also glad to see her, but it's not that big of a deal, right? Like, I only collapsed of too much stress. "Mom, Mom, I'm okay, but I'm so glad to see you again." I sincerely whisper into her ear, since my throat is somehow sore. She looks a bit surprised, but somehow also sorrowful.

"It's been so long, but you finally woke up, I'm so happy we're together again!" What? How long have I been sleeping? She notices my shocked look, and starts to explain what's going on.

"Oh, of course you didn't know... you were in a coma, Max." What? Has everything been just a dream? Were all my rewinds, all my fighting to save Chloe, and Kate for nothing? I almost start to cry, or to laugh bitterly because it is over.

"Since… when?" I somehow manage to ask her.

"Oh since October I think..."

"October when!?" I almost shout, flinching at the same time, as I got a stinging pain in my head again. My mother looks at me shocked.

"I think it was 15th? Why, what's wrong Max?" Okay, so I got into this coma after all these events…but why? What day is today?

"What day is it?" My mom looks relieved, as I'm asking normal questions again.

"Oh, today is Sunday, three weeks later."

I was sitting there with my mouth open. I was away for three weeks? Feels…strange. And somehow frightening.

"I'll call Ryan to come also… oh, and a friend of yours was there 5 minutes before you woke up. My face lights up, but I know, that it can't be Chloe. Probably Kate, I'd love to see her again, now, that everything is over. But still, why was I in a coma? No matter how hard I try, I can't remember what happened after Chloe's funeral…

"Mom, why was I in a coma?" Mom looks at the ground, and she frowns.

"You… can't remember it, can you?"

I shake my head, despite having headaches. She sighs while looking me in the eye with a concerned look.

"You tried to kill yourself."

Wait, what, why!? Mom lays her arms around me, speaking softly with me. "But now it's okay, we're here, and you have friends who visited you every day, even though you wouldn't wake up so soon. Look at the table." I turn my head and see flowers, probably from Warren, candles, maybe from Joyce, and also a drawing, surely Kate's signature. I smile while I think about it. Suddenly, someone knocks on the door. Maybe Kate? My mom looks questioning at me, and I nod. "Come in!" she says.

The door slowly open, and it wasn't Kate, but Victoria. As she looks at me, her face lights up. "Oh my god, Max! You finally woke up!" It's so weird seeing Victoria like this, but it seems like she really means it. "I know, I was a total bitch to you in the beginning, and we already talked about being friends, but I never really thought about it. But after you saved me from Mr. Jefferson, I knew, having you as a friend is the best someone can have. You probably don't remember, but I'll leave this here." She gives me chocolate, and I thank her. She then proceeds to leave, letting me alone with my mother again.

Good, now let's get back to what happened. I try to continue our conversation.

"But why did I want to kill myself? I can't believe it… Was it because of Chloe? Because she got shot by Mr. Jefferson?"

Mom looks at me confused. "Oh honey, you're mixing stuff…. It was Nathan, who killed her." She seems to be more worrying now. But at least I know now, that I didn't switch timelines or universe again. As my mom notices thinking hard about what happened, she just continues.

"You saw her got shot in the bathroom. You told Principal Wells, but he didn't believe you, so you started to investigate by yourself. You got in trouble with Nathan, but Warren helped you flee. So you two started to work together, getting to know more and more about Nathan, but then…" My mom pauses, while I try to work my way through this. It's not how I remember it! I worked together with Warren?

"Then what?" I force her to continue.

"Your friend, Kate, she jumped down the roof, while you were there." What? But I did save her, didn't I? She was standing next to me at the funeral! What is going on, is this another alternate universe, bad dream or something else? But I don't have powers anymore, so I can't do anything, right? I'm starting to panic.

"W-what else happened?" I ask when I finally gather the courage, prepared for anything.

"Well, you and-" The door flies open, and the doctor comes in.

"Oh, hello Maxine! You finally woke up -"

"Max, never Maxine…" I interrupt him. He nods.

"Sorry, Max. I'm glad you finally woke up, your mother and your friend were here every day, talking to you, and missing you." They were here. Every day. That's so sweet, and reassuring… Wait, did he say 'your friend'? There only was Victoria, did he say it by mistake? Yeah, probably a mistake.

"So, we all know why you ended up here, and we're glad you got through this coma somehow, but the problem, why you wanted to commit suicide, stays. So a psychologist will arrive soon, and you should speak with him…. Your mother already told what she knew, so it would be good if you could cooperate." I just nod. With him, I can speak freely, right?

My mother thanks the doctor, and he leaves. "I think it's better if you talk with the psychologist first, maybe you don't want to talk about it with me, since I'm so close to you." She smiles softly, kisses my forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, Max, don't put yourself down, okay?"

"Thanks mom, see you tomorrow." I can always count on her; she's my mother after all.

I somehow try to prepare myself, but how do you do this? Okay, should I start from what I know, right? Should I tell him about my rewind powers? What should I even tell him? I don't even know what happened and what not… Another puzzle I have to figure out? Maybe he will tell me the whole story. Just, be cool, Max. Be cool, I have to assume I'm safe now. The knock on the door shocked me; I wasn't paying attention, since questions are running through my mind.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Smith." We shake hands. "I hope our next session will be in my office, I don't like going to hospitals, they're always so white…and smell after disinfectant." I manage to chuckle, since he said the exact same thing I hate about hospital. He smiles at me, since he's glad to see I still can laugh about dumb things, I think. He sits down on the chair, where my mother sat half an hour ago.

"Soo, you're Max Caulfield, my mother already told me to call you only Max, you don't like your first name?"

"Yeah, I just…don't like that... thanks for not saying it." I somehow feel uncomfortable, maybe because I know that he wants to know everything about me in order to 'help' me…. Well, he doesn't seem like a bad person, and he surely helped Kate after I could save her, only that in this world, she wasn't saved by me? He shrugs it off.

"Okay, you don't have to talk about this, but we have to speak about what happened in your first semester here in Arcadia Bay… You've been in a coma for a very long time after this week which really was a big impact on your life. I can understand, why you would want to die, but you have to know: There are people who care about you. For example, me, Max." He smiles at me.

"Yeah, because you're getting paid for it." I let out sarcastically. We both laugh.

"Well, I am getting paid for it, but I'm doing this, because I want to help people. It's my ambition to help people understand, that it can get better, always, somehow. You know, my mother… and some weeks after my father… oh; I'm drifting off, we're not talking about me now, but about you." I almost feel bad for him, but it's relieving to know, that he truly cares about his patients.

"Okay Max, now tell me about what happened, how you felt, when you – " I interrupt him.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what happened… It's just, I was in this coma, and I lived this week many times. When I tell you something unbelievable, would you think I'm crazy?" He looks at me carefully.

"Max, I am a psychologist. I've heard some crazy things; I don't think you can throw me off with your story. Also, it's true, you were in this coma for a long time, and it could easily happen that you lose the ability to differentiate between reality and dream. Also it could be, that your sub consciousness wanted to process what happened. The human mind isn't that fragile, but sometimes, we just lose the idea of common sense, and we're not able to think straight. It needs time, and a healthy environment, and school isn't one. In school, you're more or less under constant stress. People judging each other, bullies and of course the stress of doing everything for school won't give you the time and space to get yourself together again. Since you don't know what really happened, why don't you just tell me exactly what happened or what you lived through the last three weeks or maybe even more?" I don't know what to say, but it seems he would understand what all of this meant. "But it's a long story, especially because I have to explain a lot of things…" This time, he interrupts me.

"Max, I have time, and this time is for you, just start where it began." Okay, just do it, Max. He'll surely listen to all of it.

"Okay, so I was in class…"

* * *

 **So, what do you think of this approach of an alternate ending? To be honest, I got this idea while playing the nightmare in Episode 5 :')**  
 **I'd love to know what you're thinking, the next chapters are, like I already wrote, not final...**  
 **Well, hope you enjoyed reading and see you no later than next week ;)**


	8. Get well soon

**Hey, I'm back :D**  
 **I'm so happy that I got a review, and that people like this story, so, hope you enjoy the new chapter :) !**

* * *

I'm telling him everything, from the start until I woke up in the hospital. He's just sitting there, taking notes, listening and thinking hard about what I'm talking, I think. First, it was awkward to start speaking about it, but right now, it feels so good to be able to speak with someone, just to get it out of my system. I don't know how much time passed, I was completely in flow by telling this whole story, remembering every detail, not forgetting any explanation until someone knocked, and a nurse brought me something to eat. I'm not really hungry, so I offer it to Mr. Smith. "Max, it's your food. You should eat it." But I insist that he at least should take the pudding. "Okay, thanks, Max. Your story sounds really interesting. It seems like your mind wanted to process what happened, as I already thought. But the way it did this is…"

"Strange?" I suggest. "For normal people maybe. No, I think this is impressive; there is so much symbolism in there. How about you go on and when you're finished, we'll meet again tomorrow, and I'm going to say what I think about it? I already spent way too much time with you, but don't worry –" Did he see my shocked face? "– I won't charge more than for the already paid time. I'm not a cheater or something like that." He smiles, as I sigh relieved.

"But what really happened? I don't know what was in coma and what not..." My eyes wander to the window. He sighs.

"What happened, happened, Max. I'm going to tell you tomorrow, you should focus on what you lived through, so I could analyze what your mind is doing right now." I can somehow understand what it means. Maybe, when I remember what really happened, I would forget what happened in the coma… or maybe I would be too shocked to even speak. I did try to kill myself, and I can't even tell why.

"Wait, but what about the storm!? Was there a storm this Friday?" He only shakes his head, just waiting for me to continue.

"Ok, where were we? Ah right…" After I'm done, he says goodbye and I don't even know what to do now. It's 7 pm, and I think I slept enough the last three weeks, Then I see, that my mother left me an old photo album on my desk, and also my diary. Just that I stopped writing in it since the first day of my school…. So this was in coma already? There, I always wrote everything into it, but in reality, I didn't. I look at old photos of me and Chloe, before I left her for five full years; I feel tears running down my cheek. 'Don't you dare forget me, Max Caulfield' Oh no, I will never forget you Chloe. Even though this wasn't real, I will write down everything. I notice a pen, and start a new page in my diary. It won't be my diary anymore, but my story of my coma.

The next day, I wake up when a nurse brings me my breakfast. I thank her, and start to eat, even though I'm not really hungry. One would think after a three week sleep, you would have a feast, but apparently, it's the other way round.

Right after I'm done eating, the doctor comes again, greeting me, running some normal tests and asking me how I am feeling, and then leaves. While I'm sitting there, wondering what to do with my free time, I remember that I was in a coma for three weeks…and that I should probably take a shower. Yeah, would be better. I'm so glad that every room has his own bathroom, so I don't have to share with someone else. I take off my clothes and go into the cabin. The water pouring down on me feels so soothing somehow. But when the water gets cold for some second, I feel like I've been thrown back into the storm, with the cold rain whipping in your face. Yes, I like to take warm showers…

As I walk outside the cabin, it comes to my mind that I don't even know if I have changing clothes, but my mother has foreseen it and left a bag with some things for me. I completely forgot to ask when Mr. Smith will come. Probably afternoon. And right now, someone knocks on my door. Who could it be? I slowly open the door, and… it's Victoria!

"Hello Max, I hope it's okay when I visit you?" I nod, and let her come into the room. I sit down on my bed, while Victoria takes the chair. "I can only imagine how you feel, but I just want to say: I'm here for you, Max. I know I've been a bitch to you at the beginning, but as you said, we should be friends, not enemies. Especially after all these things that happened…" She looks at me, I look at her. She looks confused. "Could... it be, that you can't remember anything?" I only nod.

"Oh Victoria, I'm so happy to end our fight, it really was pointless. And thank you for visiting me. I presume you were there every day?"

"Yes, since you saved my life. And many others. Even though you couldn't save everybody." She looks at the ground, sad. "Sorry I said that last part, just forget it. You did what you could, and that was impressive enough! You can't believe how grateful everyone is…" She takes my hand, then hugs me, while she starts to cry. I can't handle what's happening right now. But I just hug her back, and my tears also start to run down my cheek.

"But it's over now, right?" I say with a broken voice. We separate from each other, and just smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I've brought you something! I thought you would be happy to have it back…" She opens her bag and pulls out my camera. Not the one from Chloe's Dad, but my camera. Somehow, I'm happy and sad at the same time.

"Oh, thank you so much, Victoria! I got nothing to do right now, so taking some photos would really distract me a bit. But… don't you have school now? You're here since 9." I ask her, while holding my camera in my hands and examining it.

"Oh Max, you really do not remember anything. Our school is closed down for this semester, until there's a new principal and the whole mess has been cleared… You were the real Everyday Hero, Max." While she's saying that, she smiles at me, meaning she really thinks that.

"Wowser, didn't think I would someday be the cause for a school shutting down… even when it's only for this semester." We both chuckle. "Thank you, Victoria. Thank you for being here for me." I say, while looking her straight in the eyes.

"Max, don't say a thing, we have to be here for each other. We're BFF's now, right!?" And suddenly I get an idea.

"How about we take a selfie, since you've brought me my camera?" There was the flash, and now we're waiting for the photo to appear. I take out my diary, search for a duct tape, and stick the photo on my page after the text from yesterday.

"It's perfect, Max! To be honest, I never knew why you liked these old cameras, but now I somehow understand the appeal of these photos. It's when you capture a moment, you have this one chance and you won't waste it, so you choose this special moment to shoot it, and you don't get the result right after shooting it, but you have to eagerly wait for it to appear… Wow, I'm getting deep here."

"Yes, that's how I would also describe it, I think… Also, I like old stuff" I chuckle.

* * *

 **So, here, Victoria and Max finally got to be friends, if not even best friends :'D**  
 **After all you people folowing me, I really would like to update more often ^^**  
 **The thing is, I really would, if i could, but somehow, now that people are following this story, there's some kind of pressure xD?**  
 **You don't habe to understand it... Well, I got some chapters ahead, but I don't like them anymore, so I'm going to rewrite them.**  
 **This could take a bit longer, because I'm not sure if I like the plot the way I planned it until now, and I'm really unsure about it...**


	9. Blue

**Heeey, Happy new Year! And new year, new chapter I guess :'D  
I'm sooo sorry for the long break, Life was... strange, ha! No, it's just.. life was complicated and stuff.  
But now I'm back, mostly because I got an alert that somebody liked my story, and I was like: Oh shit, it's almost a year I haven't updated this D:!  
So I sat down and finally worked on it again. Sorry for the long wait, enjoy the new chapter :)**

After Victoria was gone, it was lunch time already. And right as I finished eating, Mr. Smith came in. "Oh, hello Max! How are you?" I smile.

"Hello Mr. Smith. I'm okay, I guess. One of my former school enemies made up with me and now we're good friends. I'm so relieved we could put all this pointless fighting aside."

"Ah, nice to hear." He nods, as he takes the chair and sits down in front of me. "Okay Max, let's start right now, because today, I don't have much time, because there are more people who need me." He gives me an apologizing look, I really think he feels like this, somehow. "Okay, then let's go." I reply.

"Well Max, your life in the coma was exciting, wasn't it? I'm gonna speak of the symbols first, because they are important. The first thing you remember, was the vision of the storm, which would come that Friday. This is simple, and also the key which led me to this one conclusion. You were the storm, Max. You caused it, deep inside you. And why? Because you blamed yourself for everything. For Chloe's Death and for everything that happened afterwards. What's deeply linked to the storm is your rewind power. You got it through the blue butterfly, right? Since you blamed yourself for all these tragic events, you thought of all these ways how you could have saved everybody, and also how you could turn into a popular girl at school, but that was only minor. All these ways, you lived through every one of them in this coma. So your mind constructed this power, so you could have a thing, which explains how you could do all these things, so it would be somehow logical. If you can go back in time, you can try everything to save everybody. So we get to the next symbol. The color blue. Of course, the butterfly was blue. And he gave you the powers, I think. You could link this to the butterfly effect, where it says, if many butterflies fly around in one country, their wings could cause a tornado in another country. So you got a perfect explanation how you could be the cause for all tragic events. Since you started using your power, you caused the storm. But the butterfly wasn't the only blue thing. Of course, your precious Chloe has blue hair. What a coincidence, since she was somehow the starting point for your powers. Kate had blue nail paint. And when you look at Rachel, she had an accessory, a feather which also was blue, right? While the first ones seemed to be random, after you told me how Rachel looked like, I was a bit confused." He stops speaking and searches for something in his map, he was holding. He pulls out a photo. It's Rachel, but... what?

"Right? She never had a feather on this photo or the others, or on these missing posters. But why did she have it in your coma? Easy, your mind linked her to death. Because she was dead. So the color blue in your coma meant somehow death in combination with persons wearing it."

I'm unable to speak. I wouldn't even know what to say anyway.

"Well, but you somehow also set limits to your powers. You couldn't rewind a long period of time, and when you used it too often, you got headaches and nosebleeds. This is where your common sense began to interrupt your dream. Of course, powers like that can't exist. So, in order for it to exist, you had to suffer. The visions of the storm only showed, that your mind wanted to stop this chaos of rewinding and pointless jumping through alternate universes in order to save everybody, and at the end, yourself. The storm was your mind, saying, you have to stop this, since it only would hurt you. The one time you almost made it with Chloe, you collapsed. This nightmare gave me deep insights of your subconscious. Your fear of men, you developed after Mr. Jefferson tortured you in his dark room. David's bad habits of trying to control everyone, Warren's obsession with you, even though you also liked him; the dealer Frank, who was aggressive and threatened Chloe, the principal not caring about you seeing Nathan with a gun, and speaking of Nathan, he killed Chloe and was emotionally unstable due to his father." He stops while looking me in the eye.

"Are you comfortable with me being your psychologist? If you really have this deep fear of men, maybe it would be better to start a therapy with a woman and later switch to help you with your fear?"

"No, I'm okay. You seem like a nice person and you're genuinely trying to help me, so I'm thankful to have you as my psychologist. Also, even though this fear was real in the nightmare, I don't feel it right now, maybe it's because I've known then and already could link something bad to them, not like with you." He nods, somehow relieved, I think? Well, I'm sure I can trust him, and even if there would be a little bit of fear, after this coma, I'm done running away.

"I'm glad I can be of help to you. Anyway… Something that also got me: In your nightmare, you got called out by another you. Like, you were abusing your power in order to be popular. But this is completely normal. Everyone would have used it in order to make friends. But even then, you felt guilty. Max, you're such a righteous person; it makes me worry how you will survive in the real world." He chuckles. "Well, it's okay to be egoistic some time, the right amount of it, like, caring for yourself, is important. In the coma, you put others before you, always putting yourself in danger in order to help or protect others. This is noble, but in reality, it would always leave you feeling unappreciated and unhappy."

After waking up from this coma, I think, I understand that. Mr. Smith looks at me, as if he wants to say something, but suddenly, his phone rings. "Ah, I completely forgot the time; I have to go, Max! See you tomorrow!" He jumps up from the seat. "But what happened really? I need to know!" I shout after him. "I'm sorry, Max, this has to wait until tomorrow!" I hear him from the distance, already outside the room.

Being left behind alone, I feel uneasy. Oh, my diary! I have to continue writing down my story. I don't want to forget one detail about my journey. Completely sucked into remembering everything and writing it in my diary, I almost didn't notice someone knocked on the door.

 **Next week, next chapter - I promise! Hope you enjoyed :)**


	10. Family'

**Here's a new chapter like I promised, hope you enjoy!  
**

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"Hey Darling, how are you today?"

"Hello Mom, I'm fine, thanks, and you?"

My Mom sits down where Mr. Smith was sitting some hours ago. "I'm just happy to be able to speak with you. I'm so sorry that Ryan can't take off from work, but the doctor said something wonderful, he'll arrive soon… but I'm telling you right now: You can leave the hospital, and come with us until Blackwell will be opened again!" She smiles, waiting eagerly for my reaction. I don't know what to say.

"Oh wow, that's cool… I guess." I don't know. Why am I not happy about this? As I thought, my mom isn't really pleased about this.

"But Max, what's wrong? You're finally able to spend time with us again, before all of this, you did text me that you miss us… And now you're somehow not satisfied with this?" She looks at me, somehow sad, but her expression changes, as she would understand something, even I don't know.

"I don't know, Mom. I'm sorry, but I really don't know why I'm not bursting with joy about hearing this…" I'm searching for words, but she interrupts me.

"No, it's good. I think I know why, I'm your mother after all." She pauses, smiles at me. "After this coma, and all what you've been through, you surely want to stay a little more in Arcadia Bay, am I right?" Oh, I'm so glad that my mother is so understanding. I stand up and give her a hug, while whispering "I love you, Mom." in her ear.

"I love you, too, Max. So you're going to stay in your room at the dorms?" The school is temporarily closed because of this whole mess… The dorms are open, but somehow, I don't want to stay there. Alone, in this room would feel like a cage to me. I could stay at someone's house, right? Hotels are too expensive. And I don't even know, how long I want to stay here. Mom stares outside the window, and suddenly has an idea.

"What if I ask Joyce if you could stay at her house for some time?" I cringe. "I'm sure that she would be okay with it. Maybe she even would be glad to have someone like a daughter around? You and Chloe were close after all." You don't even know how close we were, but were we only in my coma? As I'm sitting there, being hesitant, mom decides to do it.

"You know what, I'm just gonna call her right now." And before I could protest, she already dialed the number.

"Hello Joyce, how are you?" Yes, she's my mother after all…

"Good evening, Joyce" My mom and I are standing in front of the door of this familiar house.

"Hello Vanessa, hi, Max! How are you? Come in." While my mother and Joyce walk into the kitchen, already talking in a cheerful manner. I carry my bag with my belongings, while feeling somehow out of place. Without Chloe, this place seems so strange. One thing I'm sure of, is, that I won't sleep in Chloe's room. I'd rather crash at the couch. I leave my bag next to the door, and go to where the other two are. Joyce prepared tea and pancakes, and instantly, I feel how hungry I really am.

"Eat up, honey. You've been through so much." Joyce smiles at me, waiting for me to start eating. But instead, I feel myself getting overwhelmed by guilt. "Oh Joyce, I'm so sorry…" My voice cracks and I start to cry. My mom and Joyce both stand up, hugging me, and trying to comfort me, but I just can't stop the tears from falling down. Somehow, my guilt can't be stopped, and because even Joyce is comforting me, even though she lost her daughter, is not helping with this either.

After I calmed down, I apologize to everyone. I'm such a burden, I don't even want to stay here anymore, but I want to be in Arcadia Bay a little bit longer. I eat the pancakes, Joyce warmed them up for me, still shivering a little, but I'm fine again.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch." I decide. Joyce looks at me questioningly.

"Don't you want to stay in Chloe's room? I mean, it's free now, we also cleaned the bed…but you can also stay on the couch, I can understand that" She changed her mind, when she saw my face, when she mentioned Chloe's name. I can't stay at her room. I can't even go into her room.

"Thank you so much, Joyce."

"But you have to deal with me waking up in the morning and eating breakfast and so on. Your school may be closed for now, but the Diner isn't" She smirks, and I also manage to smile and nod.

"Well, if that is settled, I'm going home, I have to start working again tomorrow. Max, call or message me, if something's wrong, okay? But I'm sure, you're in good hands. Stay as long as you want… and as long as you're causing no problems for Joyce." Both of them laugh, and I nod. I hug my mother one more time, before she drives off with her car. Joyce goes upstairs, and when she comes back, she gives me a blanket and a pillow. I thank her, and I walk into the living room. The moment I sit down, the door is opened.

"Honey, I'm home! Is Max already here?" David! Wow, that scared me at first. But he is a good guy after all.

"Oh David, don't scare Max like that, she just came out of the hospital." She laughs, and greets him with a kiss.

"Hello Max, it's good to see you're fine again. You were sleeping a long time in there." We shake hands, but it feels so weird.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. And you were working until now?" I ask him, wondering, what he's doing, since the school is closed.

"Oh, you don't remember, right? I'm now a police officer here. After I found out about Mr. Jefferson, right before he could do something too evil to you… Well, not quick enough for…"

"David, please stop! You did what you could! And don't let Max remember all of these cruel things, she has it hard enough." Joyce scolds him. I wonder what he wanted to say, but somehow, I'm also scared of his answer, so I decide not to ask.

"I'm sorry, Max." He says, with a worried look. He seems so different from then. Maybe it's because he's finally a police officer, and not only a security guard at school. But maybe he just changed, too, because of all these events. Chloe…

"Well, we'll be going to bed now. If you need something, just tell me, okay? You're my second daughter after all." She smiles, David nods.

"Got it, but right now I'm fine, thanks. Good night, Joyce, David."

I walk over to the couch and lie down, putting the blanket over me. I feel somehow nostalgic. I remember sitting on the couch with Chloe when we were kids. I miss her so much. After turning myself for half an hour, I decide that I'm not able to sleep. I turn on the lights and open my diary. There's still a lot I have to write down. I don't know how long my pen is flying across the pages, when in the middle of one word, it only scratches as if pushing out his last breath. Oh hell no, my good old pen is out of ink… Maybe I should go to sleep and ask for a pen tomorrow, I don't want to wake Joyce over something unimportant. I lay down and close my eyes, and after shifting around for half an hour I finally manage to fall asleep.

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 **Hope you enjoyed,** **I'm not sure but I'm afraid about some characters being too out of character... Hope it's not that bad :')I'm kinda busy, but I'll manage to upload the next chapter next week again, I think :)**


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